The Blogtracker

November 6 2007 by Francis Adams


“I spent a lot of years as a CEO and I am looking for a president with experience creating jobs and the guts to lead,” says former Chrysler chief Lee Iacocca in an Online advertisement paid for by the “Bill Richardson for president” campaign.

In his blog last Thursday titled “Bill Richardson is my guy“ Iacocca seems to have finally found an answer to “Where have all the leaders gone?” a book he wrote that was published in April this year.

Incidentally, Iacocca’s clarion call for a leader with clean and bold plans was echoed by 258 C-level executives, earlier in August, when Chief Executive ran a survey asking corporate head honchos to “vote for each party’s presidential candidates regardless of their affiliation” (see: “CEOs Pick Their Best and Worst Presidential Candidates for Business” dated 8/24/2007). 

These executives, according to Edward M. Kopko, CEO of Chief Executive Group “are looking for real leadership and common sense solutions on important issues, such as tax, fiscal and energy policies, healthcare plans, and the war on terror rather than populist political rhetoric.” 

These are, perhaps, some of the traits Iacocca has seen in Democrat Bill Richardson and not the others – heavyweights and frontrunners Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, John Edwards, Rudi Guiliani and John McCain – as he says in his blog “And whether I’m examining their priorities, using my 9C’s Scorecard or simply listening to my gut, Bill Richardson is the one who always comes out on top.” 

It may be too early to predict the winner but, the fact, however, is that the New Mexico Governor, despite his squeaky clean image, backed by his political repertoire as an energy secretary and U.N. ambassador under President Clinton; and being “one of the best negotiators the country has ever seen” has so far drawn very little support compared with the others. 

Richardson has also invited criticism for using money from state lobbyists and corporate interests for his presidential campaign, an act abhorred by other candidates, led by Edwards, who has called for a ban on such funding. Edwards wants a Federal financing of the elections. 

For Iacocca, Richardson‘s candidacy stands out as the best because “as a Governor, he turned New Mexico‘s economy around. He focused on the jobs of tomorrow like aerospace and clean energy. And he can do that for the rest of the country.”

Richardson fittingly acknowledged the support with a statement saying, “I am glad to have the support of such a legendary problem-solver.”

Meanwhile, the Governor himself is no stranger to the blogosphere. Last week, he wrote a scathing article on the shortage faced by the National Guard after the havoc caused by the California fires. In “Where is the National Guard?” posted on huffingtonpost.com Richardson has lambasted the Bush administration with “right now, President Bush is robbing Peter to pay Paul to continue his disastrous adventure in Iraq, and when tragedy hits us here at home, Americans are stuck with the bill. This cannot continue.”

What the other Fortune 500 CEOs are writing in their blogs:

Marriott Chases his Family Roots in England

Marriott International CEO J Willard (Bill) Marriott Jr, takes the opportunity to write about the trials and tribulations of his great grandmother in “Marriott Family Roots in England“ after being asked to speak to the British American Business Society in New York City on British-American relationships.

The seeds Marriott’s ancestors sowed has resulted in The Marriott International Inc., that today has more than 2,800 operated as well as franchised hotels in more than 65 countries. The company, according to Bill Marriott is planning to set up 20 more hotels in China, 10 in India, 11 in Thailand and more rooms in Vietnam.

Sun Rises to the Occasion

Sun Microsystems Inc. CEO Jonathan Schwartz continues to blog nonchalantly, even on contentious issues that no other CEO would dare to put pen to paper, let alone put it as a public blog. In “ZFS Puts Net App Viability at Risk?”

Schwartz writes about Sun’s philosophy of “If you can’t beat them, join them” before ruing the fact that his company will have to unwillingly and frustratingly respond to Net App’s litigation. 

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